On the first of July, 1967, BBC 2 became the first channel in Europe to transmit in colour using the PAL system. The first colour programmes were from the Wimbledontennis tournament in that year. Two years later, the colour system would be adopted by BBC 1 and ITV.

Many of the less popular but more interesting programmes are run for several series on BBC 2, until popularity is gained, and then they are moved to BBC 1. A key example of this is The X-Files, which was initially broadcast at 11pm on BBC 2, and after three increasingly popular series moved to a prime time 10pm slot on BBC 1. This brings them to a more mainstream audience, while boosting the rating figures for BBC 1, and is the occasional pay-off for the multitude of gambles the BBC makes on programmes.